Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #79, June 30, 2016, Moose Drool Brown Ale by Big Sky Brewing Co.

Moose Drool Brown Ale is probably the most famous beer that is brewed at Big Sky Brewing Company, not to be confused with the less popular and not as tasty Moosehead Lager made in Canada.  I have been having fun lately painting Alaskan animals who got a hold of some adult beverages.  I am pretty sure a moose would love to drink a Moose Drool!  In 2008 a moose wandered to downtown Anchorage and ate so many fermented Mountain-ash berries that he became a bit intoxicated, and proceeded to get tangled up in some Christmas lights, and dragging them as he walked around downtown.  As you can imagine, this created a lot of excitement among the locals, and Buzzwinkle became a famous moose!  Midnight Sun Brewing even released a special beer in honor of this silly moose called Buzzwinkle Sour Wheat Ale, with a label created by cartoonist Chad Carpenter.  So, I’m pretty sure a moose would enjoy a tasty craft beer.

Heres’ a shameless plug: my art show at Midnight Sun Brewing Co. comes down tonight, so if you get a chance to get in there today, take a look, grab a beer, an art print, or snag a brand new original painting! 

Cheers to the WILD life of Alaska!  May your beer stay safe away from the hoofs, paws, or claws of a thirsty beast when you are out adventuring with beer!

This original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #79 by Scott Clendaniel. June 30, 2016. Moose Drool Brown Ale by Big Sky Brewing Co. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

The Difference Between an Original Painting and a Print

~ by Maria Benner

We’ve noticed that some people who are in the market for art, may be confused about the difference between an original painting versus a print.  We get questions like, “If I send you some pictures, can you make a print for me?”  Or people use the words “painting” and “print” interchangeably, and that’s confusing to us, so we always clarify, because there’s a big difference between the two.

Scott paints each original oil painting with brushes and oil paint on a piece of hardwood panel that is coated with three coats of white primer, sanded between each coat, and a layer of red and gold.  Each painting is unique, and each brush stroke is intentionally applied to the panel by hand.

In order to make a PRINT, I photograph the original oil painting.  Then I adjust the colors, brightness, levels, and contrast in Photoshop, to make the digital photograph look as close as possible to the original oil painting.  There is no way for me to make it look exactly like the original oil painting, because the oil paint is more vibrant than any printer ink.  Also, because of the gold layer of paint under the oil paint, Clendaniel paintings glow when light hits them at certain angles.  This is impossible to capture with a digital camera on most paintings, because if I shoot the painting at an angle that makes the gold paint glow, the oil paint will have glare in the photograph.  After the photograph is ready to be printed, I use our Epson Photo Stylus 3000 ink-jet printer to print the image on high quality glossy photo paper.  This printer has nine different ink cartridges, and the ink is archival, meaning that it is waterproof, and will not fade when exposed to sunlight, or with age.  We print the images on demand, so we don’t have to pay upfront for prints, and don’t have to store them.  This also allows us to release prints of nearly every painting.

When you purchase an original oil painting, you get a one-of-a-kind piece of art.  Even if Scott paints the same scene again, the colors and brush strokes are never the same twice.  On the other hand, we can make many prints of the same image.  The prints are limited-edition, meaning that we decide how many we will release and when all are sold, we won’t make any more.  So if the print is numbered 5/99, that means there will only be 99 prints in existence of that image.  Then Scott hand signs each print with archival black ink.  We package the prints with backer-board in a plastic bag, and include a certificate of authenticity in each bag.

So, in order to make a print, first Scott has to paint and original oil painting.  That is why you can’t commission a print, if the painting does not exist yet.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #78, June 23, 2016, Sockeye Red IPA by Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Sockeye Red IPA is a hopped up beer that was a hop bomb before IPAs were even popular.  About 20 years ago this beer was brewed by Mark Staples at Midnight Sun Brewing Co. to feed the desire for a spawntastic IPA at Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House, a downtown watering hole.  At 5.6% and 61 IBUs this beer was an immediate success.  Inspired by the Alaskan fishing scene, Humpy’s has always been a beer hub of Anchorage, with over 40 taps, a pizza joint, and a new music venue all connected into one downtown campus.  This place is where you would want to spawn till you die.  Sockeye Red IPA is available in ever convenient 12 oz cans, as well as in the original offering of 22 oz bottles.  This IPA has long been one of my favorites.  Be like this Sockeye and snag yourself a little piece of Anchorage brewing history.  Cheers to the big, bold Sockeye Red IPA!  

This original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #78 by Scott Clendaniel. June 23, 2016. Sockeye Red IPA by Midnight Sun Brewing Co. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #77, June 16, 2016, Alaskan Brewing Co. White Wit Style Ale

Howdy, Thirsty Thursday beer painting fans!  I was hitting a wall with the art history beer parody paintings, and I was talking it over with my friend, Kara, who I can credit with the brilliant idea I used for the Spotted Cow painting.  Her uncle was visiting and had brought over a mix-pack of Alaskan Brewing beers.  These are not the most sought-after beers, but are often the most consumed ones in Alaska, kind of like Yuengling in Philly.  They are popular across the Pacific Northwest as well.  I have some of my fondest memories sitting on the beach at Point Woronzof sipping an Alaskan Amber.  Kara told me to paint a polar bear from the Coca Cola commercials drinking an Alaskan White, because it has a polar bear on the label.  I thought that this was a great idea and here it is.  Alaskan White wit-style ale is a very popular Alaskan Brewing offering, and was one of the first paintings snapped up from the original 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall painting show I did back in 2011.  I hope you find this as humorous as I do, because I intend to extrapolate on this series.  Cheers!  I hope you are enjoying your Alaskan summer as much as I am! 

This original oil painting, and 99 limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #77 by Scott Clendaniel. June 16, 2016. White wit style ale by Alaskan Brewing Co. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

Another year at the studio space.

~by Maria Benner

Scott’s painting area all cleaned up after the Christmas painting rush.

We’ve been leasing our studio space in the 4th Avenue Market Place for a little over a year now, and last week we signed another year-long lease.  When we signed the first lease, the property manager told us that our rent would increase at the end of our year, because we’d be charged for utilities, which were free for the first year as an introductory offer.  So at the end of the year we sent the property manager an e-mail stating that we’d like to renew our lease for another year, or even two, and listed several reasons why we shouldn’t have to pay a higher rate.  Negotiating is always tough, and at first we were told that if we sign a lease, our rate would increase despite our request.  There was a caveat, however.  If we lease month-to-month, our rate will stay the same.  So we figured, why wouldn’t we do that?  I suppose if someone came along with a better offer, we would be asked to leave.  Then after about two months, out of the blue, the property manager agreed to our offer to keep the rent the same as the introductory rate, if we sign a lease.  So we went ahead and did it.  We don’t know how long we’ll be renting that space, and whether rent will go up next year, but for now we’ll be there for another year at least.  A big challenge of running an art business is keeping overhead as low as possible, so we’re glad we got a break on our lease.  I mean, the view alone is a major reason we love the studio!

A big reason we love our studio is the view!

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #76, June 9, 2016, Zombie Dust by Three Floyds Brewing Co.

This week’s Thirsty Thursday beer painting is of the super popular American pale ale called Zombie Dust by Three Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, Indiana.  Brewed in homage to comic books with a label designed by Marvel illustrator Tim Steely and Zimmer Designs, this beer is one of the most sought-after pale ales available in the United States.  The character on the label is a combination of Spider Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor into one Zombie Lord who obviously rocks the dust out of zombies.  I first tried this beer last summer when I was driving from Michigan to Chicago via Indiana.  After a very short detour, I arrived at 3 Floyds, and couldn’t stop drinking this sublime nectar.  The brewery was also selling this beer by the case, and people were walking out carrying two cases at a time, having paid a higher than average price for a pale ale.  If the zombie apocalypse happens tomorrow, forget the chainsaw, board up your windows and crack open some of the Z-Dust because the zombies will eventually get you anyway, and you might as well have a nice buzz going when they eat your brains.  Comic nerds are stereotypically not heavy drinkers, but when they do drink beer, they go for quality.  Zombie Dust is the quality that will quench your thirst, plus it’s got a super sick label that will inspire your imagination.  I thought of Night of the Living Dead, as well as Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead series, so I referenced those two flicks in the background.  Hell, this beer is so good some people might give their left hand for a case of it!

The original oil painting sold, but you can purchase one of 52 limited-edition prints, or commission a custom beer painting at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #76 by Scott Clendaniel. June 9, 2016. Zombie Dust Pale Ale by Three Floyds Brewing Co. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

Cheers to the Zombie Dust! Sometimes making a beer that is over the top pays off!  

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #75, June 2, 2016

Cheers!  How often have you sent this emoticon as a way to let people know you want to celebrate?  I know I have done it fairly often, I guess I have a lot to celebrate!  When Maria, my wife and business partner, suggested using this emoticon for a Thirsty Thursday beer painting, I jumped on it.  Emoticons were originally invented in Japan and are known there as Kaomoji.  The literal translation is, Kao for face and Moji for character.  They have been around for three decades, dating back to 1986.  Known in the U.S. as emojis, or emoticons, these picture words originated as drawings made with text =)  The clinking beer glasses is probably the best emoticon, because it shares so much feeling, much more than simply typing, “Cheers!”  A picture speaks a thousand words.  

Cheers to toasting over the Internet, even if the beer is only virtual.  What a great form of beer art, digital happiness in a digital glass!

This original oil painting, and 52 limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #75 by Scott Clendaniel. June 2, 2016. 10″x8″, oil on panel.

What we do in McCarthy.

~ by Maria Benner

My dentist asked me the other day, “So, what do you do when you’re in McCarthy?”

Maybe I should start by telling newer blog readers the background story.  In 2005 I dragged Scott to McCarthy in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park for the long 4th of July weekend, because I wanted to walk on the huge glacier.  Scott has always been reluctant to travel to new places, and grudgingly boarded the little plane that flew us to McCarthy in a rain storm.  Two weeks after that amazing trip we drove back to the little town to check out a 10-acre lot that the University of Alaska was selling.  In October we owned that lot.  I bought the land as an investment, but Scott had different ideas.  Before I could comprehend the implications of what he was about to do, Scott ordered 198 logs to be delivered to our lot in 2012.  That’s when we started building our log cabin.  It took us 182 days to finish it to the point where we could move in.  We still have many small projects left before the cabin is completely finished though.  During summers we go to McCarthy for two-week stints.  We can’t stay for the whole summer, because we have to come back to Anchorage to work on the art business.  So, if you’re wondering what we do out there, here’s a description of a typical day.

We don’t have to get up at a certain hour, but the birds’ loud chirping wakes us up at roughly the same time each day.  We drink coffee while checking e-mail and news, and then make breakfast.  We recently acquired a sourdough starter, and I brought it with us to McCarthy, because we went for three weeks, and I didn’t want it to starve while we were gone.  I’m really glad I brought it, because we made sourdough pancakes twice, and Scott baked delicious sourdough bread!

Sourdough bread that Scott baked in the cabin.

After breakfast we work on Real Art Is Better.  Scott usually has to work on commissioned paintings, or a Thirsty Thursday beer painting, while I take care of the business and marketing side of the business.  Luckily Verizon provides LTE out there!  Then we break for lunch.

Scott painting in the bug tent.

In the afternoon we work on the cabin-building project.  Neither of us is a builder, and we learned from books and YouTube videos how to peel and stack logs in the shape of a cabin.  Every time we make a mistake, we think about whether it’s worth the money, time and effort to fix it, or if “it’ll be fine, it’s just a cabin in the woods in Alaska.”  Not like there’s a Home Depot in town where we can get some extra parts.  On our trip in May we insulated and installed the bottom floor, chinked most of the gaps between the logs, installed gutters so we can collect water from the roof for washing dishes, showering (not drinking), installed five windows, built a front door, AND…  MOVED IN!!!  The moving in ceremony consisted of nailing a horse shoe from a friend’s horse above the door.  Our friend gave us that horse shoe specifically for the cabin a couple years ago.

Cabin building project!

Hi! I’m moving in!

After about five hours of building we call it a day.  Sometimes we want to keep working to finish a task, but we learned the hard way that if we keep working when we’re tired of it, we’ll make mistakes, and get grumpy.  After work we take showers every other day, which involves heating several gallons of water on a propane turkey fryer and pouring the water into a bucket with a hose and spout on the bottom.  I built a shower stall out of plywood a couple years ago.  It’s simple and it gets the job done!

After relaxing, making dinner, and doing the dishes, we leave our lot on bikes or on foot (we rarely drive the dirt roads in McCarthy) and go for a little adventure.  We’ll either visit a friend, or go to a beautiful place.  On Friday nights we usually go to softball.  On most weekends there’s a band playing at the bar.  There’s a lot going on for such a small town.  Now that the cabin is mostly done, we can spend more time adventuring!

Evening canoe float on the Beaver Pond.

Friday night softball game.

Now we’re back in Anchorage for a month.  The mosquitos are horrible in McCarthy in June, and we don’t mind skipping that stage of summer.  We’re getting ready for Scott’s art show at Midnight Sun Brewing Company this Friday.  His paintings and prints will be on display and available for sale all month.  Check out the details on the Facebook event page.  We also plan on doing a Kenai Peninsula breweries tour and go dip-netting for salmon before returning to McCarthy July 2 in time for another tremendous 4th of July weekend.